News

COMP UG Students Win Best Student Paper Award at IEEE ICNSC 2025 Conference

We are proud to announce that a team of undergraduate students from the COMP 4436 course (Artificial Intelligence of Things) has been awarded the Best Student Paper Award at the 22nd IEEE International Conference on Networking, Sensing, and Control (ICNSC), held from October 1–3, 2025 in Oulu, Finland.   The winning paper, titled “Energy-Efficient and High-Accuracy AIoT Visual Sensing Using K-Vote, Transfer-Spiking Net, and Reconstructive Classifier,” was developed as part of the students’ semester project. The student team comprises: CHANDRA Kent Max, COMP Year 4 Student WANG Youkang Albert, COMP Year 4 Student PAZO RECIO Lucas, AP Year 4 Student CHAR Cheuk Tung George, COMP Year 4 Student Dr MOHAMMED Aquil Mirza, COMP Senior Lecturer   Abstract of the Paper: The increasing deployment of Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) applications necessitates efficient and accurate visual sensing models, yet a comprehensive comparison of machine learning (ML), deep learning (DL), and spiking neural networks (SNN) within this domain remains limited, creating a gap in understanding their relative effectiveness for resource constrained environments. This study aims to evaluate and compare representative models across five paradigms: supervised ML, unsupervised ML, supervised DL, unsupervised DL, and SNN; by implementing novel approaches such as K-Vote, Reconstructive Classifier, and Transfer Spiking Net, on simple binary image classification datasets. Employing performance metrics including accuracy, precision, recall, F1 score, and runtime efficiency, our results demonstrate that the Transfer Spiking Net achieves an accuracy of 99.2%, approaching the state-of-the-art, with comprehensive visualizations and analysis revealing the strengths and limitations of each method. The contributions of this work include a systematic performance comparison, the proposal of innovative neural network models, and the release of open-source code to support future research in AIoT visual sensing applications.  

PhD Student SHEN Leming received the Distinguished Artifact Reviewer Award Multiple Times in Top-Tier International Conferences (ACM CCS 2025, ACM SenSys 2024, and ACM MobiSys 2024)

We are delighted to share that our PhD student, Mr SHEN Leming, has been honoured with the Distinguished Artifact Reviewer Award at the 2025 ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security (CCS 2025). This prestigious recognition highlights his contributions to ensuring the reproducibility, reliability, and scientific rigor of research artifacts in the computer security community.   Mr SHEN conducts research at the intersection of Large Language Models (LLMs), AIoT applications, and mobile and edge computing. He has published multiple first-authored and co-authored papers at top conferences such as ACM MobiCom, MobiSys, SenSys, and IEEE INFOCOM. His recent work explores LLM-driven automation for AIoT systems, with projects such as AutoIOT (MobiCom 2025), GPIoT (SenSys 2025), and FedConv (MobiSys 2024).   This is not Mr Shen’s first recognition for his outstanding service to the academic community. Previously, he received the Distinguished Artifact Evaluation Reviewer Awards from ACM MobiSys 2024 and ACM SenSys 2024, reflecting his continued dedication to advancing transparency and reproducibility across leading systems and networking conferences.   Mr Shen has served on Artifact Evaluation Committees for top conferences such as ACM MobiCom, MobiSys, SenSys, CCS, IEEE S&P and NDSS. His sustained commitment to both high-quality research and community service exemplifies the excellence and integrity valued in the scientific community.

Faculty Awards for Outstanding Achievement 2025

We are proud to announce that three distinguished members of our department have been recognised with the Faculty Awards for Outstanding Achievement 2025, presented by the Faculty of Computer and Mathematical Sciences (FCMS), celebrating their exceptional contributions in teaching and research.   Award Recipients: Prof. AU Man Ho Allen, Professor and Associate Head (Research and Development) Individual Award in Research and Scholarly Activities Prof. AU is internationally renowned for his research in information security, applied cryptography, and blockchain technologies, with impactful applications in FinTech, Web3, and digital identity. His accolades include the BOCHK Science and Technology Innovation Prize, multiple Best Paper Awards, and two consecutive ZPrize wins. He also serves as a founding member of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority’s Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) Expert Group, contributing to the development of privacy-preserving digital currencies.   Prof. FAN Wenqi, Assistant Professor Individual Award in Research and Scholarly Activities under “Early Career Researcher” subcategory Prof. FAN’s research focuses on machine learning and data mining, particularly in recommender systems (RecSys), graph neural networks (GNNs), and adversarial attacks. He received the AI 2000 Most Influential Scholar Honorable Mention (2022 - 2025), and was named among the World’s Top 2% Scientists (2023 - 2025) by Stanford University and Elsevier.   Dr Aquil MOHAMMED, Senior Lecturer Individual Award in Teaching under “Early Career Teacher” subcategory Dr MOHAMMED brings a rich interdisciplinary background to his teaching and research, with expertise in robotics—from surgical applications to construction automation. His work also spans underwater communications, embedded systems, neural network modelling, machine learning, deep learning, optimisation, big data analytics, etc. He has secured over HK$1M+ in industrial awards and start-up funding, demonstrating his strength in both hardware and software development for real-world societal applications. The winners of the Faculty Awards for Outstanding Achievement were selected by a Faculty Assessment Panel, which includes Heads of Unit and is chaired by the Interim Dean of FCMS, from amongst a pool of well-qualified nominees put forward by individual departments under FCMS.

Prof. Andy Chun Appointed as a Member of Advisory Committee on Development of International Aviation Superhub

We are proud to announce that Prof. Andy Chun, our Professor of Practice, has been appointed by the HKSAR Government as a member of the newly established Advisory Committee on Development of International Aviation Superhub (ACDIAS).   The ACDIAS, chaired by Ms Mable Chan, Secretary for Transport and Logistics, brings together distinguished leaders from aviation, finance, technology, logistics, academia, and tourism. The Committee will play a pivotal role in shaping Hong Kong’s aviation future, providing strategic guidance on aviation policy, the development of Airport City, and the integration of the Three-Runway System (3RS) with surrounding infrastructure and civil aviation initiatives.   Prof. Chun’s expertise in artificial intelligence will contribute to the Committee’s mission of positioning Hong Kong as a technology-driven, globally connected aviation superhub. This appointment comes at a defining moment, as China’s National 14th Five-Year Plan reaffirms Hong Kong’s status as an international aviation hub.   We congratulate Prof. Chun on this prestigious appointment and look forward to his contributions in advancing Hong Kong’s leadership in global aviation.   Please click here for more details about the ACDIAS.

17 COMP Academic Staff Recognised Among World’s Top 2% Scientists 2025 by Stanford University and Elsevier

We are proud to announce that 17 of our academic staff have been named among the World’s Top 2% Scientists 2025, as compiled by Stanford University and Elsevier. This prestigious recognition highlights the outstanding research achievements and global impact of COMP scholars across a wide range of computing disciplines.   The Stanford University list identifies the world’s leading researchers, representing approximately 2% of all scientists worldwide. The selection is based on a composite indicator (c-score) that incorporates standardised data on citations, h-index, and other bibliometric indicators, with and without self-citations. Researchers are classified into 22 scientific fields and 174 subfields, drawn from Scopus data provided by Elsevier through the ICSR Lab.   The following COMP academic staff have been recognised (in alphabetical order of surnames): Name Position Prof. AU Man Ho Allen Professor and Associate Head (Research and Development) Prof. CAO Jiannong Vice President (Education), Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Professor in Data Science, Chair Professor of Distributed and Mobile Computing Prof. CHEN Changwen Interim Dean of Faculty of Computer and Mathematical Sciences, Chair Professor of Visual Computing Prof. CHENG Ran Associate Professor, Presidential Young Scholar Prof. FAN Wenqi Assistant Professor Prof. HUANG Xiao Assistant Professor Prof. LI Ping Assistant Professor Prof. LI Qing Chair Professor of Data Science and Head of COMP Prof. LIU Yan Associate Professor Prof. LUO Xiapu Daniel Associate Dean (Research) of Faculty of Computer and Mathematical Sciences, Professor Prof. WU Yujie Assistant Professor, Presidential Young Scholar Prof. XIAO Bin Professor Prof. YANG Bo Assistant Professor Prof. YANG Hongxia Executive Director of PAAI, Associate Dean (Global Engagement) of Faculty of Computer and Mathematical Sciences, Professor Prof. ZHANG Lei Chair Professor of Computer Vision and Image Analysis Prof. ZHENG Yuanqing Associate Professor Prof. ZHOU Kai Assistant Professor   Congratulations to all the recognised staff for their remarkable accomplishments and their continued dedication to advancing knowledge and technology for the benefit of society.

COMP Showcases Digitalising Cultural Heritage Project with Metaverse and AI Innovation to the Financial Secretary at DELF 2025

COMP proudly participated as a Pioneering Innovation Partner at the Digital Entertainment Leadership Forum (DELF) 2025, organised by Cyberport from 12 to 14 September 2025. The event attracted over 3,800 participants from business, academia, and the wider community, providing a vibrant platform for exchanging ideas and showcasing cutting-edge technologies.   During the morning session on 12 Sep, the COMP booth was honoured by the visit of Mr Paul CHAN, GBM, GBS, MH, JP, Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong SAR. During his visit, COMP presented three outstanding student-led projects, demonstrating the department’s commitment to harnessing AI, virtual reality, and the metaverse for impactful real-world applications: A Creative System of Chinese Shadow Puppetry in the Metaverse of Intangible Cultural Heritage The Creative System of Chinese Shadow Puppetry in the Metaverse offers a unique VR experience where users control virtual puppets mirrored by robotic arms. Utilising advanced gesture recognition, it preserves traditional Chinese culture while providing real-time synchronised feedback, enhancing immersion and engagement for users of all ages in an interactive virtual environment. Clinical Conversation Training System The Clinical Conversation Training System is an immersive platform designed to enhance medical communication skills through realistic patient dialogue scenarios. Using Scenario-based QA and Instruction Prompting, it helps users build effective responses in high-pressure settings. A Cantonese language calibration ensures cultural and linguistic accuracy. Leveraging the Metaverse, it offers authentic, accessible training without hardware constraints and supports many concurrent users with a stable, extensible backend. Developing a Human-Centered Framework for Engaging Experiences in Meta-Football  This work develops a human-centred AI system that analyses amateur football videos to match players’ styles with professional stars using multi-model deep learning. It generates personalised digital star cards via generative AI, offering an engaging, interactive experience. The web-based platform emphasises accuracy, usability, and scalability, supporting sports training, entertainment, and social interaction with future AR/VR integration plans.   In the afternoon of 12 Sep, Prof. Peter NG, Assistant Professor and Dr Jeff TANG, Lecturer, delivered an insightful talk session titled “Metaverse Technology Applications in Culture and Tourism.” The talk explored the evolution of culture and tourism technologies within the metaverse, highlighting the transformative roles of AI and virtual reality. The discussion addressed current practices, emerging possibilities, and the ways these technologies are reshaping experiences for users, creators, and organisations. The session also featured the showcased student projects, illustrating how COMP’s innovations are inspiring new career pathways and accelerating industry growth for future professionals.  

Dual Championship Wins at AIREA International Competition on AI in Education 2025

We are proud to announce that two of our outstanding project teams have won the Champion Award in their respective categories at the AIREA International Competition on Artificial Intelligence in Education 2025, co-organised by The Education University of Hong Kong and the Artificial Intelligence Research and Education Alliance.   Champion – Higher Education Category (Stream 2) Project: K-CUBE PET: Knowledge Graph Personalized Engagement Tutor for Immersive Teaching and Learning PI: Prof. LI Qing, Chair Professor of Data Science and Head of COMP Key Team Members (in alphabetical order): Prof. George BACIU, Senior Project Fellow, COMP; Prof. CAO Jiannong, Vice President (Education), Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Professor in Data Science, Chair Professor of Distributed and Mobile Computing, Director of RIAIoT; Prof. HUANG Xiao, Assistant Professor, COMP; Prof. LI Chen Richard, Assistant Professor, COMP & APSS; Prof. NG Hiu Fung Peter, Assistant Professor, COMP & RS; Dr SIN Ping Tat Zackary, Research Assistant Professor, COMP; The team developed K-CUBE PET, an immersive Edu-Metaverse platform. Utilising VR/AR and a 3D LLM avatar, the system enhances curriculum management, study planning, and career advising for university students. The platform is intended for use at the Department of Computing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, to support both students and instructors in visualising and navigating the Computer Science curriculum.   Champion – Open Category (Stream 3) Project: Enhance social and emotional learning of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder through a gamified interactive virtual community of generative agents (ESAIAS) PI: Prof. LI Chen Richard, Assistant Professor, COMP & APSS Team Members (in alphabetical order): Mr ARCHER Daniel Andrew, Research Associate, COMP; Ms GAO Wujie, Research Assistant, APSS; Mr LUO Dongpu, Alumnus, COMP; Mr MA Hongming, Alumnus, AMA; Mr ZHANG Fu, PhD student, COMP A collaborative effort between COMP and APSS, ESAIAS leverages generative AI to support social and emotional learning (SEL) for adolescents on the autism spectrum. The platform simulates a virtual school community where students interact with AI agents in realistic scenarios, promoting skills such as emotional regulation, collaboration, and decision-making. Designed with input from educators and mental health professionals, ESAIAS offers a scalable, inclusive, and anxiety-reducing learning environment.

Outstanding Alumni Award of PolyU COMP 2025

We are proud to announce that Ir WONG Chi Kwong, Tony, JP, has been awarded the Outstanding Alumni Award of PolyU Department of Computing in 2025.   Ir WONG graduated from Hong Kong Polytechnic, the University’s predecessor, in 1987 with a Higher Diploma in Systems Analysis, and has since dedicated over 35 years of distinguished service in various IT-related departments of the Hong Kong SAR Government.   As the current Commissioner for Digital Policy, Ir WONG leads the Digital Policy Office in formulating data-driven, user-centric, and outcome-based policies that accelerate the development of a digital government. His leadership enhances the efficiency and quality of public services, benefiting both citizens and businesses.   Ir WONG oversees key areas including digital government strategies, data governance, IT infrastructure, cybersecurity, and the promotion of digital transformation across public services and industries. He also plays a pivotal role in closing the digital divide, fostering IT collaboration with the Mainland, especially within the Greater Bay Area, and supporting Hong Kong’s integration into national development.   PolyU takes great pride in its alumni’s remarkable achievements and contributions to their professions and the community. The Outstanding Alumni Award celebrates the university’s commitment to nurturing future leaders and innovators. This year’s awardees were selected through a rigorous process, and Ir WONG’s recognition is a testament to his enduring impact and professional excellence.

Prof. Allen AU Elected to the Young Member Section of the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering 2025

We are proud to announce that Prof. AU Man Ho Allen, Professor and Associate Head (Research & Development), has been elected as a member of the Young Member Section (YMS) of the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering (HKAE) for the year 2025. The YMS is a prestigious platform that recognises and empowers young engineering professionals under the age of 45 who have demonstrated exceptional contributions to the advancement of engineering and science in Hong Kong. Members are entrusted with promoting innovation, fostering academic-industry collaboration, and driving public engagement in engineering. Prof. AU is internationally renowned for his research in information security, applied cryptography, and blockchain technologies, with impactful applications in FinTech, Web3, and digital identity. His accolades include the BOCHK Science and Technology Innovation Prize, multiple Best Paper Awards, and two consecutive ZPrize wins. He also serves as a founding member of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority’s Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) Expert Group, contributing to privacy-preserving digital currency development. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Prof. AU on this well-deserved recognition and look forward to his continued leadership and contributions to the engineering community.

Prof. YANG Qiang and Prof. LIU Yang Veronica's Paper Wins Runner Up for Best Paper at KDD 2025

We are delighted to announce that Prof. YANG Qiang, our Affiliated Chair Professor of Artificial Intelligence, and Prof. LIU Yang Veronica, our Associate Professor, together with their co-authors from various institutions, have received the Runner Up for the Best Paper in the Dataset and Benchmark Track at the prestigious ACM SIGKDD 2025 Conference on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining, held in Toronto, Canada, from 3-7 August, 2025.   About the Winning Paper: Title: HtFLlib: A Comprehensive Heterogeneous Federated Learning Library and Benchmark Authors: Jianqing Zhang (Shanghai Jiao Tong University), Xinghao Wu (Peking University), Yanbing Zhou (Chongqing University), Xiaoting Sun (Tongji University), Qiqi Cai (Shanghai Jiao Tong University), Yang Liu (The Hong Kong Polytechnic University), Yang Hua (Queen’s University Belfast), Zhenzhe Zheng (Shanghai Jiao Tong University), Jian Cao (Shanghai Jiao Tong University), Qiang Yang (The Hong Kong Polytechnic University) As AI developing for many years, institutions already have built their specific models with heterogeneous model architectures for specific local tasks. Collaboration among heterogeneous models helps overcome data scarcity by enabling knowledge transfer across institutions and devices. Heterogeneous Federated Learning (HtFL) has emerged as a rapidly growing research area that allows participants to collaborate using their heterogeneous models, broadening the scope of traditional FL and fostering wider participation. This paper introduces the first Heterogeneous Federated Learning Library (HtFLlib), an easy-to-use and extensible framework that integrates multiple datasets and model heterogeneity scenarios, featuring 40 heterogeneous model architectures and 12 datasets and offering a robust benchmark for research and practical applications. Click here to read the paper. Click here to know more about the project.   About KDD The ACM SIGKDD Conference on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining (KDD) is the premier international forum for data science, machine learning, and AI researchers and practitioners from academia, industry, and government. It provides a platform to share cutting-edge research, innovative applications, and real-world experiences.